What is Cluster?

What is Cluster?

About Clusters in General

CLUSTER IS A GROUP OF CONNECTED COMPANIES

The type of activities determines the connecting of companies in the Cluster because most of them are involved in the activities in the field of forestry, wood processing, furniture production and similar activities. Cluster is focused on applying of innovations and strengthening the impacts of different types of education but also other functions that are interesting to cluster members.

Purpose of Croatian Wood Cluster

The reason for establishing of the Cluster arises of the need of Croatian companies that are registered for the activities in C16 and C31 (National classification of economic activities) to gather in structured, organized and integrated way. The goal is to improve the sustainable competitiveness of wood processing sector, especially regarding the encouraging and promoting inter-sectoral and trans-sectoral cooperation.

Mission of Croatian Wood Cluster

Creating of long term sustainable business model for strengthening competitiveness of wood processing sector by encouraging the activities in the field of research, development of technology, applying and commercialisation of innovation and encouraging of investments.

Vision of Croatian Wood Cluster

To build a strong and sustainable cluster which will gather and credibly represent wood processing sector on all levels, including participation of leading companies, members of research and development sector and representatives of public sector.

Common Cluster Values

Cooperation, innovation, integrity, ethical activities, responsibility, excellence, teamwork – those are some of the key values of Cluster. The process of building of trust has its dynamic because the activities, quality, credible work and building of common values create the confidence of members as well as of broad business and social community. Cluster is trying to identify this values by bringing them into communication and to inform about it all interested sides.

THERE IS A NEED FOR STRONG ORGANISATION OF THE SECTOR

According to the results of swot analysis, the biggest limits are hidden inside the industry, i.e. in the Croatian business environment. Forest-based-industries mostly reach the goals regarding synchronisation with economical and industry politics of National Program of Reforms that were adopted by Croatian Government in April 2014 and which are based on broad European reform frame known as European Semester. This document schedules significant reforms of economy as well as reaching of important goals, like practicing the green economy, energy efficiency and creating the conditions for low-carbon economy and those are exactly the goals of the Cluster.

In order to achieve these goals as quickly as possible, the Executive Board of Cluster has in 2014 adopted strategic documents which foreseen the minimisation of the failure risks in sector and increase of development possibilities in three priority fields if applying the strategic approach.

Step 1: Short-term

Step 2: Middle-term

Focus: Strengthening the competitiveness of companies and the sector in a whole

Step 3: Long-term

Focus: Increasing the influence of Croatian Wood Cluster and the wood processing sector

THE CLUSTER HAS MADE ITS OWN STRATEGY

The Cluster intends to contribute to the accomplishment of the goals of the wood processing sector, set down in the national and EU strategic documents in the period for 2015-2020. In order to achieve this aim, the Cluster has adopted the strategy together with the Operational Plan.

The Strategy is based on two national and the EU documents:

Strategic guidelines for the development of the wood processing industry sector 2013-2020 (Ministry of Economy)

Overview of the situation in the wood processing sector (support project for cluster development, IPA 2013)

Proposal of a new European forestry strategy (the European Commission, 2013)

The main downsides of the wood processing sector are:

Low sectoral cooperation

Longstanding problems and inconsistency in training

Low level of investment in research and development and transfer of technology

Lack of common branding and marketing in foreign markets

At the same time, the strategy identifies not just the shortcomings but also the numerous possibilities for further development of the sector, mainly in the areas of innovation and technology, and in greater use of available resources in the field of bio-economics and rural development.

Promising areas for development of the sector:

Furniture design – new product development

The concept of eco-design

The concept of greater use of wood in the construction of sustainable buildings